The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Police is seeking the driver of a pickup truck believed to have struck and fatally injured a pedestrian on Saturday as he was lying in the roadway on U.S. Highway 20, after he had already been hit a first time by a Michigan City resident.

The victim has been identified as Christopher M. Chiles, 25, of Chicago, who was pronounced dead at St. Anthony Memorial Health Center.

According to police, at 3:04 a.m. Daniele L. Waters, 45, was eastbound on U.S. Highway 20, just east of Woodlawn Ave., when she struck Chiles as he was walking in the area of the eastbound passing lane. Police said that Walters left the scene and 20 minutes later called the Michigan City Police Department to report that her vehicle had been carjacked from the area of U.S. 20 and U.S. Highway 421. Walters subsequently admitted that she had been driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, police said, and has been charged in connection with the accident.

Meanwhile, as Chiles was lying injured near the center line of the westbound lanes of U.S. 20, a witness stopped and positioned his vehicle across both westbound lanes, with his headlights illuminating Chiles, to warn other motorists. At that time, police said, the witness observed Chiles to be breathing.

As the witness returned to his own vehicle, however, a pickup truck westbound on U.S. 20 drove around the witness’ vehicle at a high rate of speed, struck Chiles a second time, and left the scene still westbound on U.S. 20, police said.

Police described the suspect vehicle as a 4x4 truck, probably a Chevrolet Silverado, either white, silver, or light blue in color or possibly dark in color.

Anyone with information on this vehicle is asked to contact Det. Mark Lachmund at the LCSP at (219) 326-7700, extension 2401.

Posted 6/23/2009